Weekly Round-Up - IRINSA-183: 18-Jun-04
U N I T E D N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
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SOUTHERN AFRICA
IRIN-SA Weekly Round-up 183
12 - 18 June 2004
ANGOLA: Urgent funding needed for essential drugs
ZAMBIA: Govt back on IMF lending programme
ZIMBABWE: Current policy on land ownership unchanged - Minister
MALAWI: New, leaner cabinet of "national unity"
SOUTH AFRICA: Black homeowners excluded from property boom
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Child malnutrition levels up in urban areas
MADAGASCAR: Govt seeks "final solution" to reservists demands
MOZAMBIQUE: New hope for HIV-infected children
NAMIBIA: The fight against creeping desertification
LESOTHO: Need for national debate to strengthen poverty reduction
strategies
ANGOLA: Urgent funding needed for essential drugs
Angola needs urgent funding for essential drugs if lives are to be saved,
particularly among resettling populations, warned a mid-year review of the
UN's Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP), released on Tuesday.
The CAP review, prepared by the UN Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said that at the end of April, funding for
the essential drug component of the Minimum Health Care Package stood at
approximately 50 percent. The package, put together by UN agencies in
partnership with the government, provides for the basic health needs of
the country's vulnerable population.
The main objective of the Consolidated Appeal for Transition (CAT) 2004 is
to improve living conditions, support the resumption of productive
activities and provide access to social services in resettlement and
return areas, through partnerships forged between agencies, NGOs and the
Angolan government.
The total funding request for the CAT has been reduced from $262 million
to US $181.6 million, following the World Food Programme's (WFP)
reassessment its needs.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41679
First convoy of Angolan refugees from Zambia arrives
About 500 Angolans were expected to return home from Zambia on Wednesday,
an official of the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) told IRIN.
"The first convoy of about 500 Angolans will arrive at a reception centre
in Cazombo [in the southwestern province of Moxico] from the Meheba
refugee camp [in Zambia's North-Western province] this afternoon," said
Fernando Mendes, the UNHCR spokesperson in Angola.
The UNHCR is expecting 40,000 Angolans to return from Zambia up until
November, when the rainy season starts. There are currently 71,000 Angolan
refugees in Zambia. Of the 40,000 to be repatriated, about 18,000 are from
the Meheba camp, 12,000 from the Mayukwayukwa camp in Western province,
8,000 from the Nangweshi camp, also in Western province, and 2,000 from
the Ukwimi camp in Eastern province.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41696
West African immigrants seek asylum
Ten West Africans out of 3,000 being held as illegal immigrants in a
transit centre outside the Angolan capital, Luanda, have sought asylum, an
official from the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
told IRIN on Wednesday.
"The immigrants are from Guinea and Mali. We expect the 10 to be released
today," said Fernando Mendes, the UNHCR spokesman in Angola. He could not
comment on the asylum seekers' condition, as he had not had access to
them.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in
Luanda said it had yet to gain access to the "approximately 3,000"
immigrants. "We are therefore not in a position to comment on their
condition. We [OCHA] are in negotiations with the minister of the interior
and the minister of social assistance and rehabilitation to gain access
and assess their situation," OCHA field coordinator Paula Carosi told
IRIN.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41694
Demobilised soldiers find work in the security industry
IRIN reported on Monday that Angola's mushrooming security industry has
become a major source of employment for demobilised soldiers, according to
various experts based in the capital, Luanda.
More than 80 percent of security employees were previously in the defence
forces. "There are at least 15,000 former military personnel working in
the security industry in Luanda itself," Svend Thomsen, co-owner of one of
Angola's largest security companies, Guarda Segura, told IRIN.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41659
Survival top priority rather than upcoming elections
Day to day survival is the chief concern of most Angolans, rather than the
current debate among politicians over the date of the country's next
general elections, IRIN reported on Monday.
Low levels of government expenditure on health and education, and
escalating unemployment have made many Angolans apprehensive about
politics and politicians, analysts told IRIN.
Esa George, 24, an assistant in a tile shop in the capital, Luanda, named
corruption, non-delivery of social services and "no jobs" as reasons for
her political apathy. Piles of rotting garbage lie heaped on either side
of the road outside her employer's shop.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41663
ZAMBIA: Govt back on IMF lending programme
After applying a series of austerity measures, Zambia is back on the
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility
(PRGF), IRIN reported on Wednesday.
This week's announcement brings the aid-dependent country a step closer to
reaching the Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Completion Point by the
end of this year.
Zambia was suspended from the World Bank and IMF programmes after it
overshot its 2003 budget by Kwacha 610 billion (about US $130 million).
Since then the IMF has closely monitored the country's economic
performance to ensure adherence to fiscal discipline measures agreed with
the Fund.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41717
ZIMBABWE: Current policy on land ownership unchanged - Minister
Authorities in Zimbabwe have denied that the government planned to
nationalise all productive farmland, saying this only applied to land
acquired under its fast-track land reform programme, IRIN reported on
Tuesday.
Last week Land Reform and Resettlement Minister John Nkomo told the
official Herald newspaper: "All land shall be state land and there will be
no such thing called private land." He said the state planned to abolish
title deeds and would issue 99-year leases, referred to as "in
perpetuity", on productive farmland, and 25-year leases on wildlife and
conservation areas.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41681
Internet service providers yet to agree to monitor e-mails
Zimbabwe's state-owned telecommunications company, TelOne, has proposed
that Internet service providers (ISPs) monitor all their customers'
e-mails, but the ISPs have yet to agree, IRIN reported on Tuesday.
The Zimbabwe Internet Service Providers Association (ZISPA) told IRIN it
was seeking clarity on a proposed amendment to the existing franchise
agreement between TelOne and ZISPA members, but chairman Shadreck Nkala
refused to divulge any details.
An ISP representative confirmed that the proposed amendment, sent to all
ISPs last month, asked them to monitor all e-mails and take measures to
block any "illegal material which was harmful to the country".
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41683
AIDS activists complain conference ignored them
Zimbabwe's first national AIDS conference ended in acrimony on Friday,
with AIDS activists complaining that they had been sidelined from the
high-profile event.
In a statement circulated among delegates at the three-day conference,
People Living with AIDS (PWAs) accused the National AIDS Council (NAC) and
the Ministry of Health, the co-organisers of the event, of ignoring their
inputs while giving medical experts and dignitaries the opportunity to air
their views uninterrupted.
"We have long said that HIV and AIDS is not a health issue, but a
developmental issue. We are tired of panellists ... [and] doctors telling
us acronyms - "scientific" evidence that has nothing to do with the
reality we are living under," said the statement.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41778
Mugabe calls for cheaper AIDS drugs
About US $2.8 million (Zim $15 billion) has been made available for the
purchase of antiretroviral drugs in public hospitals, Zimbabwean President
Robert Mugabe said on Wednesday at the official opening of the national
conference on HIV and AIDS.
"Regrettably, the current drug costs mean we can only reach 10,000
patients. Clearly, there is a need to mobilise more resources and build
sustainable partnerships, so that we can reach more patients," said
Mugabe.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41720
Limited response to PMTCT programme
Zimbabwe's efforts to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to
their children is being undermined by a limited response to the
initiative, the head of the programme, Dr Agnes Mahomva, told the national
AIDS conference.
The government rolled out the first phase of its prevention of
mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme in 2002. Currently, out of
the 53 district hospitals in the country, 43 have started administering
free single doses of the drug Nevirapine - which can reduce transmission
of the virus by more than half - to HIV-positive expectant mothers.
"The uptake in the programme has been disappointing. In 2002 only 35
percent of the identified mothers [in specific sites] came forward for the
programme. For 2003 the uptake increased to 56 percent, but the numbers of
children who came for follow-up programmes is 29 percent," said Mahomva.
Children who have received Nevirapine are expected to be tested for HIV
after 18 months.
The limited response by HIV-positive expectant mothers appears to be
rooted in the fear of stigma and discrimination.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41747
MALAWI: New, leaner cabinet of "national unity"
After a three-week delay, Malawi's new President, Bingu wa Mutharika, has
unveiled a leaner cabinet, which analysts say will find favour with
international donors, IRIN reported on Monday.
The new cabinet announced on Sunday contains 21 ministers and eight
deputies, compared to the 46-strong cabinet under his predecessor, Bakili
Muluzi.
During his tenure Muluzi was often chided for his bloated government,
which critics argued contributed to overspending in the aid-dependent
country.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41661
Concerns over attempts to "weaken" opposition
However, Malawi's civil society has expressed concern over "efforts to
weaken alternative, independent voices" in the country, as the ruling
United Democratic Front (UDF) announced a merger with the opposition
National Democratic Alliance (NDA), one of its fiercest critics, on
Friday.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41772
New measures to increase govt effectiveness
In an effort to "instil discipline" and increase "government's
effectiveness", Malawian President Bingu wa Mutharika announced this week
that all cabinet ministers have to move to the capital, Lilongwe, a senior
government official told IRIN on Thursday.
"While all ministers in the past have had offices in Lilongwe, some have
preferred to operate from the commercial capital, Blantyre, in the south,
as it was closer to their constituencies," said Ken Lipenga, Minister of
Information and Tourism.
Mutharika's predecessor, Bakili Muluzi, had also preferred Blantyre, but
Lipenga explained: "It makes more sense for us to operate out of Lilongwe,
not only because it is the capital, but also because the parliament and
all our donors are based there. The move will also help the ministers
provide leadership and guidance to their respective ministries, which are
all based in Lilongwe."
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41731
SOUTH AFRICA: Black homeowners excluded from property boom
Legal and financial constraints are preventing millions of black South
African township residents from capitalising on their properties, IRIN
reported on Tuesday, quoting the findings of a new study.
Research conducted by Shisaka Development Management Services, based in
Johannesburg, indicated that homes in black townships are worth an
estimated Rand 68.3 billion (around US $10 billion), but the use of
residential property to create wealth remained limited.
"Households are generally unable to leverage capital using their property
as collateral and are not making use of such property to generate income,
either through rental or the use of the property for business purposes,"
the report noted.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41682
Call for more aid to land reform beneficiaries
IRIN reported on Thursday that a call by South Africa's chief land
commissioner for more post-settlement aid to land reform beneficiaries has
been welcomed.
The lack of sufficient post-transfer support for beneficiaries of land
redistribution in South Africa could derail the country's land reform
programme, analysts have said.
On Wednesday the chief land commissioner, Tozi Gwanya, was quoted as
saying in This Day, a local newspaper: "We need a statutory body separate
from land affairs that deals specifically with post-settlement support."
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41737
SOUTHERN AFRICA: Child malnutrition levels up in urban areas
More children in Zimbabwe's cities are going hungry, according to a UN
Children's Fund (UNICEF) study examining nutrition in Southern Africa,
IRIN reported on Tuesday.
"Malnutrition levels in Harare [the Zimbabwean capital] have doubled over
the past four years and significantly worsened in Bulawayo [the second
city]," according to UNICEF's nutrition and health officer, Claudia
Hudspeth, who conducted the study.
She noted that the "high levels of severe acute malnutrition, warranting
immediate and urgent action", were causing particular concern. At least
one-quarter of districts in Zimbabwe had high levels of severe acute
malnutrition in children aged under five, while in one-third of all
districts the mortality rates were approaching "emergency" levels.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41680
Special report on road traffic injury prevention
Road traffic injuries are a major cause of death and disability in the
developing world, and the toll is forecast to rise over the next two
decades as societies become more motorised, IRIN reported on Tuesday,
quoting the World Health Organisation.
Although it has fewer cars on the road, Africa leads the world in deaths
from traffic injuries - an indication of the poor safety standards of
motorists, their vehicles, the transport network, and the limitations of
the health system.
In economic terms, the cost of crash injuries is estimated at roughly 1.0
percent of gross national product (GNP) for low-income countries. In the
case of Malawi and South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal province, studies indicate
that the cost could be as high as 5.0 percent of GNP.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41686
MADAGASCAR: Govt seeks "final solution" to reservists demands
Madagascar's ministry of defence on Wednesday said it would seek a "final
solution" to a four-month standoff with army reservists who are demanding
better compensation for their efforts during the country's political
crisis in 2002.
On Tuesday 28 people were injured as security forces scuffled with army
reservists in yet another protest in the capital, Antananarivo.
Defence ministry media officer Paul Andre confirmed that the injuries
occurred after one reservist let off a grenade during a demonstration in
the city's main square. Last month the reservists blocked the main route
to the parliament buildings in a bid to force MPs to address their
demands.
In February Ravalomanana offered the reservists US $175 each as
compensation, but the protestors were asking for up to US $2,000 to cover
their expenses, including a risk premium and family and rent allowances.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41716
MOZAMBIQUE: New hope for HIV-infected children
IRIN on Thursday reported on efforts in Mozambique to bring comfort to its
growing population of children living with HIV/AIDS.
Every year around 30,000 children are born with HIV/AIDS in Mozambique.
More than 50 percent of them die within the first year and the rest
usually do not survive their second year. An estimated 68,000 children
under the age of five are currently living with HIV/AIDS.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41746
NAMIBIA: The fight against creeping desertification
Arid Namibia is locked in a battle on two fronts: to provide sustainable
livelihoods for its rural population, while holding back desertification.
Water is scarce throughout the country. The central plateau and limited
grasslands to the north, where half the population lives, are sandwiched
between the Namib desert, stretching 1,400 km along the Atlantic coast,
and the Kalahari to the southeast.
A statement marking the tenth anniversary of the UN Convention to Combat
Desertification (UNCCD) on 17 June, warned the international community
that the global breadth of drought and soil degradation cannot be ignored,
IRIN reported on Wednesday.
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41701
LESOTHO: Need for national debate to strengthen poverty reduction
strategies
Lesotho needs to have a national debate about the government's broad
policy to strengthen the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) process,
IRIN reported on Thursday, quoting a new study.
The research, commissioned by the British Department for International
Development (DFID), provides a detailed overview of the PRSP process in
Lesotho, which began in 1999. It noted that the Lesotho government's
commitment to the PRSP process demonstrated the "shift of the development
approach paradigm to the setting of long-term national development
objectives and strategies."
More details:
http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41744
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